MCW Research News – Basic Sciences

Mar. 12 - The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has received a $600,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Office of the Director to fund the purchase of a new robotic accessory to enhance MCW’s drug discovery efforts using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).

Mar. 9 - Balaraman Kalyanaraman, PhD, (Biophysics) and collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania were jointly awarded a five-year, $2.6 million grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to study the role of an enzyme in alcohol liver disease. Biz Times

Feb. 20 - Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) have linked a specific protein to the development of post-viral infection asthma, which is the first step in generating a novel type of asthma therapy designed to prevent development of post-viral asthma in young children.

Feb.11 - A team of researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UCR); and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has designed genetically-modified plants that can reduce water loss during times of drought, thus helping the plants survive.

Feb. 10 - The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has received a two-year, $420,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study new therapeutic targets for tuberculosis.

Feb. 9 - Paul Goldspink, PhD is lead author of an article published in Biomaterials that describes work by MCW scientists to create bioengineered structures that are the same size, shape and stiffness as heart muscle cells, work that may one day help doctors repair heart tissue and prevent heart failure.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Shiny Shiny and, Nanowerk

Jan. 12 - The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has received a four-year, $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Eye Institute to study the specific parts of the visual system responsible for vision loss in albinism.

Jan. 6 - In a round-up article on sleep research studies nationwide, the Buffalo News reports on collaborative research by MCW and the University of Chicago that found that lack of sleep can cause the body to secrete a molecule called 2-AG, which stokes hunger. Buffalo News

Dec. 15 - Carol Everson, PhD is lead author of a study published in Sleep that found that sleep deprivation causes damage to cells, especially in the liver, lung, and small intestine. Medical News Today and Milwaukee Courier

Dec. 9 - Zach Shaheen, an MCW Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) student, received a four-year, $180,000 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases grant to investigate the pancreatic immune response involved in the development of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus during a viral infection. MSTP students are enrolled in both MCW’s Medical School and Graduate School. Wauwatosa Now

Dec. 8 - Scientists at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) have discovered a link between sleep loss and cell injury. Results of a new study find sleep deprivation causes the damage to cells, especially in the liver, lung, and small intestine. Recovery sleep following deprivation heals the damage.

Dec. 5 - NASA has awarded John Baker, PhD, professor of cardiothoracic surgery and biochemistry at MCW, a five-year, $1.8 million grant to research the impact of cosmic radiation on astronauts’ cardiovascular health. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Nov. 20 - Dr. John R. Raymond, Sr., and Dr. Robert Golden, Dean of the UW School of Medicine & Public Health, co-authored an opinion editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal calling on Congress to approve funding for the National Institutes of Health for the new federal fiscal year that began on October 1.
Wisconsin State Journal

Nov. 11 - Dr. John R. Raymond, Sr., and Dr. Robert Golden, Dean of the UW School of Medicine & Public Health, co-authored an opinion editorial in the Wisconsin State Journal calling on Congress to approve funding for the National Institutes of Health for the new federal fiscal year that began on October 1. Wisconsin State Journal

Nov. 11 - Katherine Zappia, a graduate student at the Medical College of Wisconsin has received a two-year, $85,000 fellowship from the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to investigate the mediators contributing to the pain experienced in sickle cell disease.

Oct. 27 - The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a two-year, $420,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to advance the understanding of leptospirosis, a serious bacterial infection affecting humans and animals, and how it establishes persistent infection in the kidney.

Oct.14 - Candice Klug, PhD received a four-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to advance the understanding of how endotoxin, a major component of disease-causing bacteria, is transported within the cell. Wauwatosa Now

Oct. 2 - The Center for Imaging Research seeks grant applications to provide vital funding for innovative imaging-based research projects at the 3T and 7T scanners. The Center will issue five $5,000 and five $15,000 awards to be used for MRI scanner fees and applicable subject stipends and transportation costs.

Oct. 10 - A collaborative team of researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) and the Milwaukee School of Engineering has received a one-year, $50,000 grant from the Clinical and Translational Science Institute of Southeast Wisconsin (CTSI) to study possible interventions to prevent the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Oct. 9 - A team of researchers has shown that long-term administration of a novel drug to mice exhibiting Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms is effective in mitigating loss of smell, improving motor coordination and preventing the tendency to fall – all early symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. A manuscript highlighting these findings has been accepted for publication in the journal, Neuroscience Letters.

Oct. 9 - The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has received a five-year, $500,000 training grant from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to investigate the development of a tool to interpret the genetic data of humans affected with cardiovascular disease.

Jenifer Coburn, PhD received a four-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to advance the understanding of leptospirosis, a serious bacterial infection affecting humans and animals worldwide. Wauwatosa Now

Oct. 7 - The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has received a four-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences to advance the understanding of how endotoxin, a major component of disease-causing bacteria, is transported within the cell.

Oct. 2 - The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a four-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to advance the understanding of leptospirosis, a serious bacterial infection affecting humans and animals worldwide.

Oct. 1 - Andreas Beyer, PhD is principal investigator of a two-year, $470,000 grant from the Office of the Director of the NIH to generate and characterize novel disease models of use for the greater scientific community. Wauwatosa Now

Sept. 30 - Jyoti Sengupta, PhD, and Banani Banerjee, PhD, (both Medicine – Gastroenterology and Hepatology) will serve as the primary investigators of a four-year, $1.8 million National Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases grant to study the genetic and physical causes of chronic pelvic pain. Becker's ASC Review and Biz Times

Sept. 23 - The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a two-year, $470,000 exploratory grant from the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health to generate and characterize novel disease models of use for the greater scientific community.

Sept. 22 - In a study published in Genetics, Leah Solberg Woods, PhD and colleagues reported that they had has identified a new gene associated with fasting glucose and insulin levels in rats, mice and in humans; traits involved in diabetes. Nature World News, Health Canal, Medical Xpress and Bio-Medicine

Sept. 15 - Brian Volkman, PhD and Dr. Mitchell Grayson are co-primary investigators of a one-year, $382,500 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to identify new therapeutic targets for chronic obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Biz Times

Sept. 04 - The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a one year, $382,500 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to identify new therapeutic targets for chronic obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Aug. 26 - The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a four year, $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to study the role of a specific microRNA in the development of hypertension and associated kidney injury.

Aug. 04 - Andrey Sorokin. PhD received a two-year, $153,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute to evaluate COX-2 regulation as a potential new pathway for inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. Wauwatosa Now

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has received a two year, $300,000 grant from the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation for Spinal Cord Injury Research to study better recovery and care for spinal cord injury patients.

Michael Dwinell, PhD and Balaraman Kalyanaraman, PhD received a five-year, $2.6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to study new therapeutic approaches to treat pancreatic cancer. Wauwatosa Now

The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a five-year, $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute to study new therapeutic approaches to treat pancreatic cancer.

July 17 - Gary Stoner, PhD provides expert comment to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article on a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study that found that broccoli-sprout tea helps purge the body of air-pollution toxins, including carcinogenic benzene. Pittsburgh Post Gazette

July 07 - Dr. Xiaowen Bai received a five-year, $1.4 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to determine the role of microRNAs in damage to the nervous system in some children and fetuses that have been exposed to anesthetic. Wauwatosa Now

July 02 - The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a five-year, $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences to determine the role of microRNAs in damage to the nervous system in some children and fetuses who have been exposed to anesthetic.

June 30 - Dr. Dawn Siegel received a three-year, $1.3 million grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases to study the genetic causes of PHACE syndrome, which is characterized by a large facial hemangioma with other birth defects including abnormalities of the brain, heart, and eyes. Wauwatosa Now

June 30 - Cecilia Hillard, PhD is co-principal investigator of a $2.6 million NIH grant awarded to John Mantsch, PhD, of Marquette University. The joint MCW/Marquette study will investigate the effects of stress in drug addiction relapse. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and GM Today

June 26 - The Medical College of Wisconsin and three other collaborators have received a three-year, $750,000 grant each from the Glaucoma Research Foundation to study biomarkers that may indicate early signs of glaucoma.

June 24 - Carol Everson, PhD is lead author of a study reported in Experimental Biology and Medicine that links insufficient sleep to the onset of osteoporosis and a lessened ability to repair slight bone damage caused by normal everyday activity. Canada Drug Center

June 24 - Researchers at MCW and Marquette University have earned a five-year grant to study addiction: cravings, relapse, and stress. Cecilia Hillard, PhD, professor of pharmacology and toxicology and director of the Neuroscience Research Center at MCW, is a co-PI on the grant. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

June 17 - The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has received a four-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to study how astrocytes, the cells that support neurons in the brain and spinal cord, affect the genetic makeup and function of other cells in the brain.

June 12 - The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a five-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse to study the mechanisms by which phosphodiesterase inhibitors reduce addictive behaviors.

June 10 - William Jackson, PhD received a five-year, $2.2 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to study the ways in which specific viruses become infectious. Wauwatosa Now

June 04 - The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a five-year, $2.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to study the ways in which specific viruses become infectious.

May 21 - Transportation crashes, unfortunately, are a fact of life. Faculty and staff in the Vehicle Crashworthiness Laboratory and the Neurosurgery Research Facility at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center use their biomedical engineering expertise to minimize the effect crashes have on the people involved.

May 22 - The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a four-year, $1.02 million grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Division for spinal cord injury research.

May 21 - Cheryl Stucky, PhD received a five-year, $1.9 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to study the underlying causes of pain in sickle cell disease. WauwatosaNOW

May 14 - The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a five-year, $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to study the underlying causes of pain in sickle cell disease.

May 13 - Julian Lombard, PhD received a two-year, $420,000 exploratory grant from the Director’s Office of the National Institutes of Health to investigate antioxidants and why direct administration of antioxidants for human disease have not been more successful. WauwatosaNOW

May 12 - The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a two-year, $420,000 exploratory grant from the Director’s Office of the National Institutes of Health to investigate antioxidants and why direct administration of antioxidants for human disease have not been more successful.

May 07 - The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a five-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute to support development of novel immune cell-based therapies to cancer.

May 06 - Matthew Scaglione, PhD received a three-year, $740,000 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders to investigate how neurons clear toxic proteins involved in neurodegenerative disease. Biz Times

May 05 - John Corbett, PhD received a four-year, $1.4 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to study what causes destruction of the cells that produce insulin in the body, leading to diabetes. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

April 30 - The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a three-year, $740,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke funding research investigating how neurons clear toxic proteins involved in neurodegenerative disease.

April 30 - The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) has received a four-year, $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to study the biochemical causes of beta cell destruction in diabetes.